


Redemption Arc

by Garden_Beast



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Redemption, Romance, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 09:30:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garden_Beast/pseuds/Garden_Beast
Summary: Hawkmoth has been defeated and unmasked, and the Agreste family is in pieces. While Ladybug and Chat Noir find a new enemy in Paris, Gabriel Agreste has work to do to earn his son's trust.





	Redemption Arc

At the very top of the Eiffel Tower, beneath all of Hawkmoth’s mystique, was none other than Gabriel Agreste. Mayura could not help him now-- she hadn’t shown her face since their last showdown (interestingly also at the Eiffel Tower, as so many of their battles had been). With no one else to protect him from the sidelines, he was hunched down, miserable and alone. 

 

Gabriel Agreste. His own father. “Why would you do this?” Ladybug asked, her voice… Soft. Chat couldn’t look at Hawkmoth just then, instead focusing his eyes on her. He couldn’t quite guess the look in her eyes, but it bordered somewhere on sad. “What could you possibly want, Mister Agreste?”

 

“I…” Hawkmoth had always had his father’s voice. Even seeing him from afar, the demeanor was the same, the silhouette was the same-- it all felt so obvious in retrospect. Chat Noir kept still, fists clenched, as he listened on. “Emilie...” Chat Noir-- no, Adrien-- paled; his heart fell into his stomach, because he knew that name, knew the heartbreak motivating the villain before him. He would have done anything to get her back himself, but-- but-- what had his father done?  “I couldn’t-- that damned miraculous took her away, and I just-- I needed to bring her back. I still do. I  _ need  _ this wish to be granted, Ladybug.”

 

Thank goodness Ladybug took the reins here, because Chat Noir was speechless. She leaned down, hand open and ready to accept the butterfly pin. “But you know that isn’t how miraculouses work, Hawk-- Mister Agreste. There’s a trade-off to having these wishes come true, and--” 

 

“And I’ll trade whatever I have to. You-- you don’t know what it’s like to see your family broken like this. To see  _ yourself  _ broken like this. I just need this wish, and then she’ll be fine, and we can all be together again, and we can be happy...” In a desperate bid, he grabbed for Ladybug’s earrings, only to have his hands swatted away. 

 

“What do miraculouses have to do with her, though? I thought she disappeared,” Chat Noir cut in, voice tight. He stood several feet away from the scene, shoulders so tight he felt like he might implode. What had his parents done? How had they hidden so much from him? When had any of this even occurred? Looking down at the supervillain he knew as his father, he wondered just how many secrets Gabriel Agreste had kept from him. 

 

“The peacock miraculous. It’s-- damaged. It was like that when we found it, during our travels, and she-- she used it, and she--” he went quiet, dropping his head once more. “I lost her. Physically, she’s here--”  _ What?  _  “She’s safe, but… I suppose you could call it comatose. She’s completely frozen in time, and I’ve tried everything to help her, but nothing  _ worked _ .” Chat Noir, for the second time, was speechless. Emilie had disappeared. His mother had disappeared years ago-- his dad had told him that. They’d put in missing person reports, they’d had detectives after her; after all this time, he knew where she was. It was like a punch in the gut, receiving the news. He only looked away as Hawkmoth continued, “I can’t lose her.” 

 

He couldn’t lose her. Adrien remained still, a shiver of outright  _ fury  _ running through him. His father couldn’t lose her? What about him? What about Adrien? He had been left out of all of this, unaware that his mother’s location was known, and it was-- it was-- it was difficult to breathe. He looked out onto the city, only barely keeping his composure. He couldn’t lose himself now. 

 

“A miraculous did that to her?” Ladybug echoed, glancing away as if in thought. “I could… I suppose I could take this up with an acquaintance,” she suggested, eyes locking quickly with Chat Noir’s. Ah. Master Fu. “But I’d need to take the miraculouses back. And the book you have on them.” 

 

It was Hawkmoth’s turn to be confused. “How do you know…?”

 

“This isn’t the time for that,” Ladybug answered, gently changing the subject, “I think that right now we should get the book, and see your wife.” She glanced at Chat Noir again, this time with a smile. 

 

Gabriel Agreste nodded, continuing with “I just want my son to have a mother again.” 

 

This was about Adrien’s breaking point. He was about to open his mouth and speak, but Ladybug beat him to the punch: “I think he needs to have a father too, though. And with all this super-villaining, I don’t think you’ve put in much time for him. Do you?” Hawkmoth dropped his head once more, visually… Close to tears. Adrien had never seen his father like this-- and had never anticipated Ladybug to be quite so-- perfect. Considerate. She barely even knew Adrien, and there she was defending him. As confused as he felt about his father, Chat Noir felt more certain about his feelings for Ladybug than ever. “Let’s get you home and figure this out. Chat, how are you on time?” 

 

Chat Noir  _ had  _ used his cataclysm several minutes ago… Checking his ring, he noted that he only had two paw pads left. “I’ll meet you guys at Agreste Manor,” he answered, leaping off the edge of the tower and bouncing away. His own father. The last thing he heard was Ladybug summoning her lucky charm. 

 

As soon as he returned home, then, he de-transformed, looking around his room with a renewed sense of unease. He had been living under the same roof as the enemy, and he hadn’t even realized. Hawkmoth was so much closer than he could have imagined. His own father. Anger crashed through him like a wave, but there was no time for reflection. Not just then. “Plagg, I need you to get some cheese in you. They’ll be here any minute.” 

 

“Wh-- we  _ just  _ beat Hawkmoth!” the little kwami protested, still shoveling camembert in his mouth regardless. “Can’t we take a little break to--” 

 

“Claws out!” Now wasn’t the time for a break. Now was the time for answers. 

 

Ladybug and Hawkmoth-- Gabriel Agreste-- made it to the manor in good time. Chat Noir had only just made it to the foyer when they arrived, Gabriel with a sheet over his body. “Had to keep things anonymous for now,” Marinette explained, pulling off the sheet. 

 

“Tah-dah!” Chat Noir managed to joke, even in this dark moment. It wasn’t often that the senior Agreste actually looked a little… ridiculous. “Now if you could show us to the miraculouses and my-- to your wife…” 

 

“You two had better keep your end of the deal,” Gabriel sneered, fixing his hair and walking toward his study. Ladybug smiled at Chat, flashing her newly acquired miraculous. So they had finally gotten the butterfly pin after all. Small victories. With a shared smile, they followed Hawkmoth to his… studio. 

 

“Not much of a lair, huh?” Chat Noir commented, glancing about. It felt more like home. White walls, black and gold accents-- he knew his father’s style well. To think that this was where Hawkmoth had hatched his plans. 

 

“Wait and see,” Agreste Senior answered, opening the safe behind his mother’s Klimt portrait, and grabbing at his book and pen. Wait-- he had seen that pen before. Had he been that close to getting the peacock miraculous away from Hawkmoth? More and more secrets piled up within the Agreste household, every single one of them more damning than the last. His father closed the safe, handing everything to Ladybug, before pressing into the painting of his wife, and-- they were buttons? Those details in his mother’s painting were  _ buttons _ ? How much of Adrien’s life could his father desecrate? Wait-- no. He was Chat Noir. He needed to keep calm. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the fact that a hole opened up in the ground due to his father pressing some sorts of secret keys, and he followed Gabriel and Ladybug underground. To a whole new floor of his house he had never known. Glancing at Gabriel Agreste, he saw his father in a different light. 

 

“This could be a trap,” Chat Noir whispered to Ladybug, eyes on his own father. “Let’s not lose focus.” 

 

“I hardly have anything left up my sleeve, Chat Noir,” Gabriel answered, not even deigning to look at him. Chat felt his hackles rise. 

 

“It’s okay, Kitty,” Ladybug whispered back, hand wrapping around his wrist. “No matter what happens, we can take it together. And I know you can hear me, Mister Agreste.” They could take it together. She was right-- no matter what, neither of them were alone in this. Once they reached the bottom of this… Pit? Basement? Hall? There were no accurate words for it-- all Adrien could say was that it was cavernous. Gabriel turned, now, walking to some kind of...  door, covered in metal roses. 

 

“This is where she is resting,” he said quietly, hand stroking the door. In the dim light, his face almost looked… Gentle. “Please be respectful when you come in.” With that, he entered: behind  _ those  _ doors was another hall, this time lit, with roses, lights, and-- 

 

At the end of the hallways, Adrien saw a face he’d feared dead. He couldn’t help but run to her. “M--” he had an identity to protect. He couldn’t just say her name, not there and then. But she was  _ there _ , in the flesh, inside some kind of glass case. Her cheeks were as rosy as he’d remembered. Her hair, the same-- she looked like she was just… Napping. Adrien felt his hands pressing hard against the glass-- it was only through the realization that there were eyes on him that he put them down. “She must have been like this for years.” 

 

“Yes,” Gabriel answered, walking to her glass case, and… Pressing a quick kiss to the glass. It was the gentlest thing Adrien had seen his father do in, oh-- years? “As beautiful as the day I met her. Completely asleep. Emilie…” He trailed off, staring down at his wife with a look that couldn’t be described as anything other than mournful. “I need you to help me get her back. The miraculouses have done this to her, and-- they’re the only things that can fix it.” 

 

A silence settled over all three of them, until a familiar beep sounded from Ladybug. “I need to leave,” she explained quickly, in almost a whisper. “Just-- promise me that you’ll tell your son about this. I think he deserves to know. I’ll be back once I’ve discussed this with my friend.” 

 

With that, she hurried out of the tomb, polite enough not to run. As soon as she left, however, Chat heard her characteristic yo-yo. She was gone. 

 

All that was left was silence, resounding through the hall like an echo. “You should leave as well, Chat Noir,” Gabriel Agreste said, in a low voice. “I’m sure you have loved ones worrying about you right now.”

 

“Are you going to tell him? Your son?” Chat Noir felt as if he were on the ledge of a precipice, waiting for his father’s answer. How long would these secrets continue? How much more lying could his family take? 

 

“I…” Hawkmoth trailed off, clenching his jaw. “I’ve never wanted to hurt him. He doesn’t deserve more pain than he’s already had. There’s only so much you can put a boy through.” 

 

That was a no, then. “Well. I agree with Ladybug-- he deserves to know.” Chat began to walk off and out of his mother’s newfound tomb, when he turned around. One last thing to say. “You really can’t build trust when you’re hiding all of this, you know?” He gestured to the hall, to his mother, to every single one of the lurid secrets his father had kept, before he sped off into the night. 

 

___

 

There was a knock on Adrien’s door as he sat at his desk, staring at his mother. She had been so close, all this time. His father had just… Let him mourn her like that. His door opened, and he heard his father’s voice, then-- “Adrien?” Speak of the devil. 

 

Adrien took a moment to gain his composure-- he couldn’t quite face his father yet, not knowing everything he had done. How many lives he had put in danger. How many times he had put  _ his  _ life in danger. “Yes, Father?” 

 

“I need to speak to you. May I come in?” 

 

When had his father ever asked for entry into his room? “Sure,” he answered, turning around at his desk and facing his arch enemy. “Something you need?” 

 

“Yes, actually. I…” Gabriel sat down on a nearby seat, looking oddly pensive. “I have something to tell you. And some apologies to make.” Well. This was a first. “You see, when I lost your mother, I-- I’ve been quite…” He placed his head in his hands for a moment, before raising it back up and continuing, “I know I haven’t been here for you. Emotionally speaking. I’ve been distant, and arguably cold, and, well. I’m sorry for that. Truly.” Gabriel took another deep breath, before, “And I’m afraid that I haven’t been entirely honest with you. About your mother, and about myself. Now, when I lost her, I… I could have done anything to get her back. Anything. For a long time, I’ve been working to do just that. It’s just-- she didn’t quite… Disappear.” 

 

“Excuse me?” Shock. It was genuine shock that Adrien felt right then and there-- was his father going to tell him? “What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean that she… do you know what miraculouses are? What Ladybug and Chat Noir use to access their powers?” 

 

Adrien knew more than he would dare let on. “I do.” 

 

“Good. Yes. Those.” Gabriel sighed. “Your mother and I found one. Two, actually. And we… Used them.” 

 

It was time to play dumb, then. “You mean, you two were superheroes?” Adrien asked, crossing his arms. 

 

“Ah, well. No. Good question, but no. We really mostly used them for our entertainment-- and I know that that hardly paints us in the best light, but we didn’t fully understand their power, then. And one was, well. Damaged.” Gabriel paused, then, taking a shaky breath. “Using a damaged miraculous can be-- dangerous. Their powers are incredible, and when they are damaged, the can be… Harmful. To the user. And it was harmful to your mother. Very much so.” 

 

Harmful. The word repeated in Adrien’s head, as his own ring felt heavier on his finger. “How so?” 

 

“Your mother, ah.” His father gulped, looking… upset. Almost close to tears. “She used a damaged one. And it took something from her. I can’t quite explain what, as I don’t quite understand it myself. But it… She fell into some kind of trance. And then into some sort of comatose state, and I-- I tried to help her, son, I did. We went to all of the best doctors, until it was just-- so hopeless. I’m sorry.” 

 

“You said she disappeared,” Adrien answered, slowly, as if to seem like he was putting the puzzles together. 

 

“I did. And in a way, she did.” Gabriel bit his lip, “Just not… Physically.” 

 

So he was actually going to tell the truth, for once. It was almost refreshing. “Then where is she? Physically?” 

 

He looked wounded. Gabriel Agreste hadn’t shown this much emotion in years, and now it felt as if it were all coming out at once. Despair seemed to have gripped him, and some part of Adrien wanted to comfort him. “I built a room for her under the house. She’s been there for some time, as I… Try to fix this.” 

 

Finally, Adrien could access some of that frustration. It came slowly, in a whisper. “My mother is still in the house? She’s been here the whole time?” 

 

His father had no excuses. Gabriel only looked him in the eyes and answered, “I’m sorry, son. I wanted to protect you from all of this.”

 

“From all of what?” He answered, now fully and rightfully mad. “That you kept my mom away from me? That I’ve been mourning a person who’s still alive?” 

 

Seconds ticked by as Gabriel Agreste sat in silence. “And for my methods in trying to get her back.”  

 

Adrien couldn’t help but grind his teeth, this time. All of these lies had piled up on each other, and now only when he was caught, he would answer truthfully. “And what ‘methods’ were those? Hm?” 

 

Another silence. Adrien waited with bated breath-- would he admit it? Would he admit to being Hawkmoth? Putting him and his friends in danger? Nearly toppling Paris dozens of times? “The ladybug and cat miraculouses,” he explained slowly, “When put together, you can make a wish-- you can change the world; the past, the present, anything. And so, I… Tried to get them for myself.” 

 

Adrien knew exactly how he’d tried to ‘get’ the miraculouses, but he wanted his father to admit it himself. “How? What did you do?” 

 

Another silence. This one stretched on the longest, with Gabriel glancing out of Adrien’s window and into the city outside. “There was another miraculous, one that wasn’t broken. And I used it. Because I knew that the ladybug and cat miraculouses would be put into use if necessary, and…” 

 

“Every hero needs a villain,” Adrien finished. Gabriel looked pained. 

 

“I was Hawkmoth, correct. And I’m sorry. I--” 

 

That was about it. At the very least, Adrien had received the truth. His father had come clean to him for the first time in his life, and that was… not bad. But his father had been a supervillain, and had hid his very  _ alive  _ mother from him, and had left Adrien alone for so long that right then and there, he couldn’t bear to see his face. “I’m taking a walk.” 

 

He stood up, pocketed his phone and wallet, and walked off into the night. 

 

___

  
  


As soon as he had left the house, Adrien transformed into Chat-- he needed the escape. Needed the wind and city beneath him. Instead, what he had was a message left on his cat-stick, from no one else but Ladybug. 

 

_ “Hey Chat! I just wanted to say good work-- I’ve put the miraculouses somewhere safe. I believe we mentioned getting ice cream once this all blew over? Call me back when you can, I’ll be out exploring for a little bit. Bug out!” _

 

He played the message again, just to hear her voice. It was soothing, on a night like this. Besides, he’d finally earned that ice cream date! That was… Good. Out of everything that had come out of this debacle, he had one good thing. He met her at their usual rooftop, right above the Seine. She was facing away from him, a reddish shadow against the city lights. 

 

“M’lady,” he purred, as soon as he stepped onto the roof, tipping an imaginary hat. “Shall we get ourselves some congratulatory ice cream?” She actually jumped, when she heard him speak. “Oh? Something on your mind?” She could have been contemplating sharing her secret identity. She could have been contemplating a kiss between them, then and there, just next to the river. His brows waggled at the thought. 

 

“I just… I’ve been thinking about Mister Agreste’s son, I guess,” she admitted, back still to him. Staring out onto the water. The mood was broken, sure, but at least Ladybug had been thinking about him. “I don’t even know if Hawkm-- Gabriel Agreste told him anything, and I just… I guess I feel bad. I wish he didn’t have to go through any of this.” 

 

Oh. Once more, Ladybug had surprised him. “That’s a fair point,” Chat agreed, leaning against the wrought iron railing of the rooftop with his partner, “That must be a lot.” It  _ was  _ a lot. Adrien wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to speak to his father again. 

 

“And it’s just-- I know that Mister Agreste, well. Hawkmoth was a supervillain. I know that. But I get where he’s coming from, trying to get his wife back.” 

 

Wait. “You’re not seriously thinking about giving him our miraculouses, are you?” 

 

Ladybug looked shocked. “Of course not! No! I--I can see where he’s coming from, that’s all. And he loves his son a lot, and it’s just… Sad. I hope everything works out for them, and I hope that Mr. Agreste comes clean.” 

 

Mr. Agreste came clean, at least, but he would hardly tell that to Ladybug. Besides, how could it ‘work out’? “You mean, you hope Adrien forgives him? If he does find out?” What did Ladybug want from him?

 

Marinette went quiet for a moment. “Well. Yes and no. If I were in his position, I feel like there would have to be a lot of feelings to work out. And I think that maybe that would come first. And then rebuilding trust. And then… Forgiveness?” She slumped forward. “I don’t know, I’m no expert with this kind of stuff. I just hope that maybe in a few years they can get along. I don’t know.” 

 

“That’s pretty fair of you,” Chat Noir answered, peering at her through the corner of his eye. “Hopefully that’s how things go.” They both watched as the river water flowed by. Little boats came and went. Lights across the river went out-- people were going to bed, weren’t they? 

 

“I should go,” Ladybug finally spoke, breaking the silence. The camaraderie was over. They were superheroes again, with all of their own secrets. 

 

“Ladybug,” Chat said, reaching out to her. She stopped, just before flinging her yo-yo back into the sky. “You know, we’ve defeated Hawkmoth. Why don’t we get that ice cream as our actual selves? Who knows, you might like me more than you think.” 

 

She paused a moment, before answering. “Well… Okay. That sounds good to me. How about we meet at the T&S bakery this weekend? We can grab some lunch, and then walk around a bit? Do something fun?”

 

This was actually happening. Ladybug, the love of his life, agreed to meet with him. In person. No secrets, no lies, no nothing, just-- them. “Does Saturday work for you? At noon?” Chat asked, unable to keep from smiling. “I’ll bring a bouquet of roses.” 

 

“No need to bring roses, kitty, but other than that, the time and place work perfectly. I’ll see you then.” She threw her yo-yo, and was off. 

 

Adrien would see her again, and he’d see her in person. Before he set on his way home, he gave himself a self congratulatory jump in the air, paired with a fist bump. He was meeting Ladybug. 


End file.
